Blog

MBET student Andres Felipe Toro shares his journey from Colombia to Canada, shaped by diverse experiences across sectors and countries.

Drawn to entrepreneurship as a tool for meaningful change, he is focused on building ventures at the intersection of sustainability, social impact, and viable business. Currently, he is exploring solutions in affordable and transitional housing.

Through the MBET program, he has strengthened his ability to test ideas rigorously while embracing uncertainty as part of the process, all within a diverse community that challenges assumptions and sharpens thinking.

Last week, Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) students participated in an immersive learning experience in San Francisco, gaining firsthand exposure to one of the world’s leading startup ecosystems. The trip combined founder insights, industry sessions, and networking opportunities designed to support venture growth and entrepreneurial development.

With more than 800 alumni worldwide, the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program at the University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business has built a powerful global network of founders and innovators. Many continue to launch new ventures long after graduation.

MBET alumni collectively represent over 120 alumni-owned companies, a number that continues to grow as graduates apply innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across industries and stages of their careers.

Charles Huxley, Tom Kizito, and Joshua Olonade, three MBET candidates, won the Experience Ventures Hackathon by building a fully functional zero-waste analytics tool in 36 hours. Their “constraint-first” approach, shaped by MBET’s focus on rapid prototyping, customer discovery, and problem-driven design, allowed them to deliver the only live product in the competition: the Zero-Waste Dashboard. The tool provides instant transaction processing, customer segmentation, product insights, and actionable recommendations that small retailers can implement immediately. Their win highlights how MBET equips students to build fast, validate assumptions, and create real-world impact. The team is now exploring opportunities to extend the platform to other retailers seeking simple, data-driven solutions.

When Hayley So, a Kinesiology student in the Faculty of Health, competed in the Spring 2025 Problem Pitch competition, she walked away with $7,500 in R&D funding to advance her startup,ClickNShare. The platform aims to make creative equipment like cameras and devices easier and more affordable to access, helping students and creators alike share their tools and talents. 

When Covid-19 hit and students started losing their co-op placements, two Conrad School BET 300 students and Problem Pitch alumni Holden Beggs and Jackson Mills teamed up to give their peers experience anyways.

That idea changed everything. It became The Zero Experience, an all-online program that has now reached over 5,000 learners worldwide and been recognized in Forbes 30 under 30 Class of 2025.

“Zero was born from our experiences with the Problem Lab, entrepreneurship at Conrad, research across national labs, and too many side projects to count,” says Holden. “We saw common threads in successful innovation, but also a big gap: there was no true first step for students who didn’t yet have ‘a great idea’ or didn’t feel like innovators.”

Meet Nikki McDonald, a student in the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) program at the University of Waterloo and a powerhouse on and off the ice.

In our latest blog, Nikki shares how her journey as a student-athlete shaped her path to entrepreneurship. From battling imposter syndrome to co-founding NextPlayNetwork, a platform that helps student-athletes transition into professional success, Nikki's story is all about clarity, persistence, and adaptability.

“Purpose goes beyond entrepreneurship and athletics; it’s the reason behind long hours and hard sacrifices.”

Read her full journey and what it takes to build a venture — and chase championships — at the same time.

Part-time MBET student Alex Salsali turned a personal story into a mission-driven venture. 

"As a child, I believed in the magic of these words, certain that a sprinkle of pixie dust could make anything possible. As I grew, I traded wonder for realism and magic for logic. But somewhere along the way, I realized pixie dust is real, just not in the way I once imagined. 

Sarah Cestnick, a full-time MBET student, reflects on her recent experience at the VCIC Nationals.

"Walking into the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) Nationals, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s one thing to analyze startups in a classroom setting – but pitching investment decisions in front of seasoned venture capitalists? That’s a whole different ball game.

If there’s one thing the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) program does well, it’s this: it doesn’t just teach entrepreneurship – it immerses you in it.

Most students analyze businesses in a classroom through cases. MBET students sit down with founders and analyze businesses that could change industries. Most students read about venture capital. Student Venture Fund (SVF) students sit in the room with investors to make real investment decisions."